TAA iv.03.03

long job. Inside the barrier were

Carter, Callender and myself. 

Carter made a little speech first, and 

then Carnarvon said a few words &

then the exciting moment arrived, 

and Carter mounted the stage, stripped 

to trousers & vest and struck the 

first blow with hammer & chisel. He 

first located the wooden lintel over 

the door & then very carefully cleared 

below it; fortunately the stones at the 

top were small. After about a quarter 

of an hour he w/<h>ad made a hole big

enough to put an electric torch in, 

and we could all see a huge wooden 

erection covered with gold leaf, evidently

the tabernacle which covered the sarcophagus.

          At this point he asked me to come 

up and help him, and the rest of the 

clearing we did together. It was an 

odd sensation standing on the stage 

and gradually widening the hole, you 

could feel the spectators behind the barrier